Ruprecht Dominates Dungog AusEnduro

Round 3 and 4 of the Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship roared back to life in Dungog, NSW and delivered two punishing days of racing. A fast track with dusty conditions across sweeping hills quickly formed deep ruts and exposed tactical terrain that tested even the most seasoned riders.

Round 3

In Pro Enduro, Wil Ruprecht (Yamaha) wasted no time and delivered a flawless run in the opening WR test to go nine seconds clear of Korey McMahon (KTM). From there, Ruprecht built momentum, steadily extending his advantage while the chasing pack remained tightly compressed, at times just five seconds covering P4 to P10. Jye Dickson (KTM) remained in contention despite an early crash, while Ryan Hayward (GasGas) and Cooper Sheidow (Yamaha) consistently featured inside the top five. Sheidow delivered a standout performance in MXStore Test 3, going third fastest outright. Ultimately, Ruprecht was untouchable and completed a clean sweep to secure both the Pro Enduro victory and E2 class win. McMahon claimed second outright and topped E3, with Dickson rounding out the podium and finishing second in E2.

The E1 class delivered one of the battles of the day, with Hayward and Sheidow trading blows throughout. By Test 4, the pair were separated by just 0.7 seconds heading into the final test, where a costly mistake from Sheidow allowed Hayward to capitalise and secure his first E1 win of the 2026 season. Sheidow finished second, while Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha) claimed his first podium of the year in third.

While Ruprecht dominated the E2 category and Dickson secured second despite early adversity, Kogan Lock (GasGas) fought back from mid-day trouble to claim third. In E3, as McMahon set the benchmark, Max Midwinter (KTM) finished second, while Brock Grabham impressed aboard the Stark Varg to take third.

Jess Gardiner (Yamaha) returned to dominant form to take the win in the EW class, while Madi Simpson (Yamaha) recovered from an early mistake to finish second and Emelie Granquist (Triumph) rounded out the podium. One of the tightest contests of the day unfolded in EJ – Beau Tripcony (Husqvarna), Marcus Nowland (Yamaha), and Kai Austin (Kawasaki) traded times across the tests, often separated by tenths of a second. In a dramatic finish, Tripcony delivered in the final stage to secure the overall win. Nowland claimed second with consistent riding, and Austin finished third.

Round 4

Ruprecht carried his dominance into Round 4, once again setting the pace from the opening test and never relinquishing control. McMahon and Dickson stayed close early, with McMahon coming within half a second in WR Test 2, but Ruprecht’s consistency proved unmatched as he secured another victory. McMahon again finished second outright, with Dickson completing the podium in third.

E1 delivered another intense battle and went down to the final test, as Carpentier established an early lead while Hayward and Sheidow remained within striking distance. Despite a mid-day setback, Carpentier held on to claim his first Australian round win with Hayward finishing second and Sheidow securing third.

Ruprecht continued his perfect run in E2, winning every test once again. Dickson again finished second, while Lock delivered another strong ride to claim third. Oliver Paterno (Yamaha) impressed in fourth, continuing his upward trajectory.

McMahon converted his Pro Enduro form into another E3 victory, while Grabham continued to impress aboard the Stark Varg to finish second ahead of Midwinter as he rebounded from an early setback to take third. Gardiner again controlled the day from the outset, extending her advantage across each test to secure another win with Simpson behind her. Courtney Rubie (GasGas) claimed her first podium in third.

A shortened day saw the EJ class complete just two tests, but the intensity remained high. Kai Austin carried momentum from Round 3 to secure victory, while Nowland’s consistency earned him second. Archie Salopayevs (KTM) rounded out the podium in third as Tripcony narrowly missed a podium finish after a costly opening test.

Dungog proved to be one of the toughest tests of the 2026 season so far. With Ruprecht in dominant form and new challengers emerging across the classes, the championship continues to build momentum as it now heads to Queensland Moto Park on May 16–17 for Round 5 and 6.